Achaearanea

Achaearanea is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Embrik Strand in 1929.

It used to include the extremely abundant common house spider, which was transferred to genus Parasteatoda in 2006, together with many other species. A. veruculata and many more species were moved to genus Cryptachaea in 2008. Others were moved to the revived Henziectypus. The genus was thus reduced from about 150 species to about thirty species during major revisions. Possibly even more species should be transferred to other genera.

Distribution

Species are found around the world, with several species from South America, China and Korea, India, Australia and Africa. Some species are endemic to several small islands.

Life style

Members of Achaearanea build an irregular network of threads, usually in a sheltered place. These spiders construct untidy tangled cob-webs amongst trees and along walls. Their webs sometimes contain a leaf or other debris used as shelter.

The male and female may occupy the same web for some time before mating occurs. After mating, the female constructs up to eight pear-shaped papery brown egg-sacs. They feed on various insects, including ants and other spiders.

Description

This genus includes small and large theridiids. The legs are medium long, with spines and usually many hairs. Their web is an irregular network of threads, usually in a sheltered place.

Species

, this genus includes 27 species:

• Achaearanea alboinsignita <small>Locket, 1980</small> – Comoros
• Achaearanea baltoformis <small>Yin & Peng, 2012</small> – China
• Achaearanea biarclata <small>Yin & Bao, 2012</small> – China
• Achaearanea budana <small>Tikader, 1970</small> – India
• Achaearanea coilioducta <small>Yin, 2012</small> – China
• Achaearanea diglipuriensis <small>Tikader, 1977</small> – India (Andaman Is.)
• Achaearanea disparata <small>, 1965</small> – Gabon, Ivory Coast
• Achaearanea diversipes <small>(Rainbow, 1920)</small> – Australia (Norfolk Is., Lord Howe Is.)
• Achaearanea dubitabilis <small>Wunderlich, 1987</small> – Canary Islands
• Achaearanea durgae <small>Tikader, 1970</small> – India
• Achaearanea epicosma <small>(Rainbow, 1920)</small> – Australia (Lord Howe Is.)
• Achaearanea extumida <small>Xing, Gao & Zhu, 1994</small> – China
• Achaearanea flavomaculata <small>Yin, 2012</small> – China
• Achaearanea globispira <small>Henschel & , 1994</small> – South Africa
• Achaearanea hieroglyphica <small>(Mello-Leitão, 1940)</small> – Peru, Brazil, French Guiana
• Achaearanea inopinata <small>Brignoli, 1972</small> – Venezuela
• Achaearanea linhan <small>Yin & Bao, 2012</small> – China
• Achaearanea machaera <small>Levi, 1959</small> – Panama
• Achaearanea maricaoensis <small>(Bryant, 1942)</small> – Panama, Puerto Rico
• Achaearanea micratula <small>(Banks, 1909)</small> – Costa Rica
• Achaearanea nigrodecorata <small>(Rainbow, 1920)</small> – Australia (Lord Howe Is.)
• Achaearanea propera <small>(Keyserling, 1890)</small> – Australia (New South Wales, Tasmania, Lord Howe Is.)
• Achaearanea septemguttata <small>(Simon, 1909)</small> – Vietnam
• Achaearanea simaoica <small>Zhu, 1998</small> – China
• Achaearanea tingo <small>Levi, 1963</small> – Peru, Brazil
• Achaearanea trapezoidalis <small>(Taczanowski, 1873)</small> – Panama to Paraguay (type species)
• Achaearanea triangularis <small>Patel, 2005</small> – India

• A. acoreensis <small>(Berland, 1932)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. alacris <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. altiventer <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. ambera <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. analista <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. anastema <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. angulithorax <small>( & Strand, 1906)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. anna <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. apex <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. asiatica <small>(Bösenberg & Strand, 1906)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. azteca <small>(Chamberlin & Ivie, 1936)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. banosensis <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. barra <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. bellula <small>(Keyserling, 1891)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. bentifica <small>(Keyserling, 1891)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. blattea <small>(Urquhart, 1886)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. boqueronica <small>(Kraus, 1955)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. brookesiana <small>Barrion & , 1995</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. caboverdensis <small>Schmidt & Piepho, 1994</small> (Transferred to Paidiscura)
• A. caliensis <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. cambridgei <small>(Petrunkevitch, 1911)</small> (Transferred to Chrysso)
• A. campanulata <small>Chen, 1993</small> (Transferred to Campanicola)
• A. camura <small>(Simon, 1877)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. canionis <small>(Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1929)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. caqueza <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. catapetraea <small>(Gertsch & Archer, 1942)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. celsabdomina <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. chilensis <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. chiricahua <small>Levi, 1955</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. cingulata <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. cinnabarina <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. conigera <small>(Simon, 1914)</small> (Transferred to Achaeridion)
• A. conjuncta <small>(Gertsch & Mulaik, 1936)</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. credula <small>(Gertsch & Davis, 1936)</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. culicivora <small>(Bösenberg & Strand, 1906)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. dalana <small>Buckup & Marques, 1991</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. daliensis <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. dea <small>Buckup & Marques, 2006</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. decorata <small>(L. Koch, 1867)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. diamantina <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. digitus <small>Buckup & Marques, 2006</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. dromedaria <small>(Simon, 1880)</small> (Transferred to Paidiscura)
• A. dromedariformis <small>(Roewer, 1942)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. ducta <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. eramus <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. extrilida <small>(Keyserling, 1890)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. ferrumequina <small>(Bösenberg & Strand, 1906)</small> (Transferred to Campanicola)
• A. florendida <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. fordum <small>(Caporiacco, 1954)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. fresno <small>Levi, 1955</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. galeiforma <small>Zhu, Zhang & Xu, 1991</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. geochares <small>Levi, 1955</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. gibberosa <small>(Kulczyński, 1899)</small> (Transferred to Echinotheridion)
• A. gigantea <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. globosa <small>(Hentz, 1850)</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. guadalupensis <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. gui <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. hammeni <small>Chrysanthus, 1963</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. herbigrada <small>(Simon, 1873)</small> (Transferred to Neottiura)
• A. hermosillo <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. hirta <small>(Taczanowski, 1873)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. ignota <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. index <small>(Chamberlin & Ivie, 1944)</small> (Transferred to Coleosoma)
• A. inops <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. insulsa <small>(Gertsch & Mulaik, 1936)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. isana <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. japonica <small>(Bösenberg & Strand, 1906)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. jequirituba <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. jinghongensis <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. kaindi <small>Levi, Lubin & Robinson, 1982</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. kaspi <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. koepckei <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. kompirensis <small>(Bösenberg & Strand, 1906)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. krausi <small>Chrysanthus, 1963</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. labarda <small>Roberts, 1983</small> (Transferred to Bardala)
• A. lanyuensis <small>Yoshida, Tso & Severinghaus, 2000</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. leguiai <small>(Chamberlin, 1916)</small> (Transferred to Theridion)
• A. liaoyuanensis <small>Zhu & Yu, 1982</small> (Transferred to Theridion)
• A. longiducta <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. lota <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. luculenta <small>(Bryant, 1940)</small> (Transferred to Chrysso)
• A. lunata <small>(Clerck, 1757)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. lunata <small>(Olivier, 1789)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. lunata <small>(Franganillo, 1930)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. manzanillo <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. maraca <small>Buckup & Marques, 1991</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. maronica <small>(Caporiacco, 1954)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. maxima <small>(Keyserling, 1891)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. mea <small>(Bösenberg & Strand, 1906)</small> (Transferred to Campanicola)
• A. meraukensis <small>Chrysanthus, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. mesax <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. migrans <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. milagro <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. mundula <small>(L. Koch, 1872)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. nayaritensis <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. nigrovittata <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. nipponica <small>Yoshida, 1983</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. nordica <small>(Chamberlin & Ivie, 1947)</small> (Transferred to Chrysso)
• A. obnubila <small>(Keyserling, 1891)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. oculiprominens <small>(Saito, 1939)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. ohlerti <small>(Thorell, 1870)</small> (Transferred to Theridion)
• A. orana <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. orgea <small>Levi, 1967</small> (Transferred to Theridion)
• A. oxymaculata <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. pallida <small>(Walckenaer, 1841)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. pallipera <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. pallipes <small>(Keyserling, 1891)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. parana <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. passiva <small>(Keyserling, 1891)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. picadoi <small>(Banks, 1909)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. pilaton <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. pinguis <small>(Keyserling, 1886)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. polygramma <small>(Kulczyński, 1911)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. porteri <small>(Banks, 1896)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. portoricensis <small>(Petrunkevitch, 1930)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. projectivulva <small>Yoshida, 2001</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. pusillana <small>(Roewer, 1942)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. pydanieli <small>Buckup & Marques, 1991</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. quadrimaculata <small>Yoshida, Tso & Severinghaus, 2000</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. quadripartita <small>(Keyserling, 1891)</small> (Transferred to Theridion)
• A. rafaeli <small>Buckup & Marques, 1991</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. rapa <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. redempta <small>(Gertsch & Mulaik, 1936)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. rioensis <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. riparia <small>(Blackwall, 1834)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. rostra <small>Zhu & Zhang, 1992</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. rupicola <small>(Emerton, 1882)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. ryukyu <small>Yoshida, 2000</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. salvadorensis <small>(Kraus, 1955)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. saxatilis <small>(C. L. Koch, 1835)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. schneirlai <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. schraderorum <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. schullei <small>(Gertsch & Mulaik, 1936)</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. serax <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. serenoae <small>(Gertsch & Archer, 1942)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. serica <small>(Urquhart, 1886)</small> (Transferred to Steatoda)
• A. sicki <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. simulans <small>(Thorell, 1875)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. simulata <small>(Emerton, 1926)</small> (Transferred to Theridion)
• A. songi <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. subtabulata <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. subvexa <small>Zhu, 1998</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. tabulata <small>Levi, 1980</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. taeniata <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. taim <small>Buckup & Marques, 2006</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. teja <small>Levi, 1967</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. tepidariorum <small>(C. L. Koch, 1841)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. terex <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. tesselata <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. tovarensis <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. transipora <small>(Zhu & Zhang, 1992)</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. triangula <small>Yoshida, 1993</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. triguttata <small>(Keyserling, 1891)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. trinidensis <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. turquino <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Hentziectypus)
• A. umbratica <small>(L. Koch, 1872)</small> (Transferred to Theridion)
• A. undata <small>(Keyserling, 1884)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. ungilensis <small>Kim & Kim, 1996</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. uviana <small>Levi, 1963</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. valoka <small>Chrysanthus, 1975</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. veruculata <small>(Urquhart, 1886)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. vervoorti <small>Chrysanthus, 1975</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. vivida <small>(Keyserling, 1891)</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)
• A. wau <small>Levi, Lubin & Robinson, 1982</small> (Transferred to Parasteatoda)
• A. xinjiangensis <small>Hu & Wu, 1989</small> (Transferred to Heterotheridion)
• A. zonensis <small>Levi, 1959</small> (Transferred to Cryptachaea)

In synonymy:

• A. pentagona <small>(Caporiacco, 1954)</small> = Achaearanea hieroglyphica <small>(Mello-Leitão, 1940)</small>

Nomen dubium

• A. quadripunctata <small>(Simon, 1895)</small>

References

External links